French photographer and filmmaker Sarah Moon is known for dreamlike images that resemble moments of reverie frozen in time.
Born in France in 1941 to a Franco-American father and French mother, Moon was raised in England, where she moved at age 10. Before taking up photography, Moon began her professional life as a model, posing for such eminent fashion photographers as Guy Bourdin, and first picked up a camera in 1968. She began shooting pictures of her friends, models like herself, as a hobby but soon began a career on the other side of the lens.
Completely self-taught, she displayed a distinctly personal perspective, and her first fashion campaigns, starting in the late 1960s for Biba and then Cacharel, soon acquired cult status. Her images were soft-focus and enigmatic, inspired by the aesthetics of 1920s filmmakers like the Soviet Sergei Eisenstein and Germans G.W. Pabst, Carl Theodor Dreyer and F.W. Murnau.
In these compositions, she wanted the women to convey both strength and fragility. She was aiming to create “something that could distance me from the coded language of glamour,” she once told her friend, the painter Ilona Suschitzky. “I was looking for something more intimate. It was the backstage that interested me — the in-between second before the gesture was complete.”
Timeless, sensual and elusive, Moon’s depictions of femininity strongly contrasted with the sharp, glossy, erotic fashion photography of the time, produced in an industry dominated by men. Her first campaigns were quickly followed by ads for Dior, Chanel, Comme des Garçons, Christian Lacroix, Issey Miyake and Yohji Yamamoto, as well as by editorials in Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, Marie-Claire and Life. She also defied stereotypes in 1972 as the first woman to shoot the Pirelli calendar, which was conceived in the 1960s as sexy, high-gloss promotional material for the Italian tire company but soon became an art object, shot by some of the world’s most prominent fashion photographers.
In 1985, she decided to focus on personal projects, producing images with the same grace, poetry and sense of transience as her fashion ones. Depicting still lifes, plants or animals (from peacocks to pachyderms), the mysterious photos were shot in both black and white and color. Blurring, unusual cropping, scratches and distortions give them an almost painterly aspect, especially those taken using Polaroid positive/negative film.
A 2018 project, “Time at Work,” is a series of small-format images and a short film that embody the concept of transience. Like all her work, the "Time at Work" series reflects Moon’s fascination with the passing of time.
The soft-spoken photographer often quotes this line by T.S. Eliot: “Time past and time future, what might have been and what has been, point to one end, which is always present.” Eliot never saw her work, but he captures it exactly. As Moon herself has said, “I don’t believe I can say it any better.”
Find original Sarah Moon photography on 1stDibs.
L'été (The Summer), 1989
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
L'été (The Summer), 1989 Signed, title, dated, numbered on verso Gelatin Silver Print Paper Dimensions: 11 x 14 inches Edition 5 of 20
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
La Ralentie
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and editioned Edition of 15
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Falling
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and editioned Edition of 20
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Etude
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed
Silver Gelatin
Price Upon Request
Chanel
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and editioned Edition of 15
Silver Gelatin
$1,600
H 9.25 in W 7.63 in D 0.07 in
Orpheus #1 - Gelatin Silver Photograph Balanchine Ballet Classical Male Nudes
By George Platt Lynes
Located in Glenford, NY
George Platt Lynes 1948 Photograph #1 of Balanchine Ballet ‘Orpheus’. George Platt Lynes rare original vintage 1948 gelatin silver photograph (dated by the NY City Public Library) of nude dancers Francisco Moncion and Nicholas Magallanes in George Balanchine's iconic mid-20th Century ballet 'Orpheus'. Stamped on verso in dark blue ink at upper center, "GEORGE PLATT LYNES/145 EAST 52 STREET NEW YORK”. Photo shoot took place in NYC. Costumes and Set by ISAMU NAGUCHI. Photo is 7 5/8 x 9 1/4 inches, soft satin finish in excellent condition. This photograph is from Francisco Moncion's original collection given to him by George Platt Lyons. It is one of 14 different poses in the 'Orpheus' series. 8 different photographs are remaining for sale and are available on request. All are original Platt Lyons gelatin silver prints original to Moncion's collection and are stamped by the photographer. Photographs from this celebrated series are in the permanent collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC), Museum of Modern Art (MOMA, NYC), the NYC Public Library, and many university art archives. George Platt Lynes (1907–1955), was a gregarious American portrait, dance, fashion, and male nude photographer whose career spanned the late 1920s through the early 1950s. From age eighteen, Lynes entered the cosmopolitan world of the American expatriate community in Paris when he became acquainted with the salon of Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas. He began photographing authors like Stein, Jean Cocteau, André Gide, and Colette and soon established himself as one of the premier fashion photographers in the Condé Nast stable, documenting the ballet companies of George Balanchine/Lincoln Kirstein, and pursuing a private obsession with seductive images of young male nudes rarely published in his lifetime. Orpheus represents a major 20th Century artistic collaboration between composer Igor Stravinsky, choreographer George Ballanchine, and artist/designer Isamu Naguchi. Orpheus is a thirty-minute neoclassical ballet composed by Igor Stravinsky in collaboration with choreographer George Balanchine in Hollywood, California in 1947. The work was commissioned by Ballet Society, later renamed New York City Ballet, which Balanchine founded with Lincoln Kirstein. Sets and costumes were created by Isamu Noguchi. Noguchi’s lyre harp from the production became the symbol of the New York City Ballet. Francisco Moncion (July 6, 1918 – April 1, 1995) was a charter member of the New York City Ballet. Over the course of his forty year career, choreographers George Balanchine, and Jerome Robbins in the New York City Ballet created 22 major roles for Moncion including the Dark Angel...
Silver Gelatin
$950
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1950s Photograph of "Beefcake" model MAYNARD KEITH #2
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare early 1950s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of model MAYNARD KEITH. This is #2 of a series of 4 images of Maynard ...
Silver Gelatin
Fern Spring, Dusk, Yosemite
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This silver gelatin print with exemplary provenance is unsigned but bears several stamps from the artist's family on the back of the mount, including the authentication stamp of Adam...
Silver Gelatin
$875
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1950s Photograph of "Beefcake" model GENE STAGGS #1
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare early 1950s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of bodybuilder and model GENE STAGGS. This is #1 of two images of Stag...
Silver Gelatin
$875
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1950s Photograph of "Beefcake" model Unidentified #3
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare early 1950s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of an unidentified model (Unidentified #3). All of Juleff's records we...
Silver Gelatin
$875
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1940s Photograph of "Beefcake" model BOB GIBE #1
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare 1940s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of model BOB GIBE. Photograph is an excellent example of Juleff's masterful ...
Silver Gelatin
$2,450
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.065 in
Art Critic (Head Extended on Spring Before Post War Painting)
Located in Camden, ME
Henry Rox Art Critic (Head Extended on Spring Before Abstract Painting) c. 1948 Vintage silver gelatin print 8 x 10 inches Printed c. 1948 Estate stamp verso This 8 × 10 inch vintag...
Silver Gelatin
$875
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.07 in
DOUGLAS JULEFF Vintage 1950s Photograph of "Beefcake" model Dick Lee
Located in Glenford, NY
Rare early 1950s Original Vintage Gelatin Silver Photograph by DOUGLAS JULEFF - also known as DOUG OF DETROIT - of model DICK LEE. Photograph is an excellent example of Jufeff's mast...
Silver Gelatin
$1,850
H 10 in W 8 in D 0.065 in
Musician Playing Pork Chop Double Bass Silver Gelatin Print c. 1940
Located in Camden, ME
Henry Rox (1899–1967) Musician Playing Pork Chop Double Bass c. 1940 Vintage silver gelatin print 8 x 10 inches Estate stamp verso No known negatives extant This 8 x 10 inch vintage...
Silver Gelatin
$1,850
H 10 in W 8 in
Pork Chop Figure Diving Into Frying Pan, Mid-20th Century Print
Located in Camden, ME
Henry Rox (1899–1967) A Pork Chop Figure Diving Into A Frying Pan c. 1940–1945 Vintage silver gelatin print 8 x 10 inches Estate stamp verso No known negatives extant This 8 × 10 in...
Silver Gelatin
$2,000
H 10 in W 8 in
Pork Chop Cowboy with Lasso, Vintage Silver Print, Mid-20th Century
Located in Camden, ME
Henry Rox (1899-1967) Pork Chop Cowboy with Lasso c. 1940-1945 Vintage Silver Gelatin Print 8 x 10 inches Estate stamp verso No known negatives exten...
Silver Gelatin
$8,000
H 8.125 in W 6.375 in
Moth and Stump, Interglacial Forest, Glacier Bay National Monument, Alaska
By Ansel Adams
Located in Pacific Grove, CA
This vintage silver gelatin print is signed in pencil on the front of the mount, with image number "6" in the lower left corner. Portfolio Two stamp with print #6 and set #A in red c...
Silver Gelatin
Codie
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and editioned Edition of 20
Silver Gelatin
Fashion 10 (N.Y. Times)
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and editioned Edition of 15
Photographic Paper
Les Roses
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Signed and editioned Edition of 15
Photographic Paper
Fashion 5, Jean Paul Gaultier
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Sarah Moon (France, born 1941) Fashion 5, Jean Paul Gaultier, 1998 Fresson Print Image Dimensions: 17 x 22 inches Paper Dimensions: 22 x 29 inches Edition 1...
La robe rouge
By Sarah Moon
Located in Santa Monica, CA
Sarah Moon (France, born 1941) La robe rouge, 2010 Fresson Print Paper 29 x 22 inches; Image 22 1/4 x 17 inches Edition 8 of 15 Signed, titled, & numbered i...
Sold
H 45 in W 60 in
Sarah Moon Portfolio, printed and bound, 10 Gelatin Silver Prints
By Sarah Moon
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Sarah Moon Portfolio printed and bound by CameraWork, 1999 10 gelatin silver print works, printed and bound into a book. Comes in a protective traveling case. The overall wall size composition of the entire portfolio is 45 in H x 60 in W Each individual Image size: 14.75 in. H x 11.75 in. W Individual sheet size: 19.38 in. H x 14.63 in. W Box size: 21.25 in. H x 16.25 in. W x 2 in. D Protective traveling case size: 23.5 in. H x 18.5 in. W x 3.5 in. D All works are signed, titled and dated on verso in pencil 1. Yael Raich 2. Sans Titre 3. S.R 4. Nevermind 5. Collines 6. Tullamore 7. Sasha Robertson 8. Vué de dos 9. Le collier 10. Roses _____________________________________________ Sarah Moon is a French fashion photographer who rose to prominence in London during the 1970s. Characterized by her painterly, ethereal aesthetic, Moon’s photographs...
Archival Pigment, Silver Gelatin, Black and White
Collines, 1994
By Sarah Moon
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Collines, 1994 by Sarah Moon Gelatin Silver Print Unframed Image size: 9.75 in. H x 12 in. W Sheet size: 19.5 in. H x 15.5 in. W Signed, titled and dated on verso in pencil _______________________________________ Sarah Moon is a French fashion photographer who rose to prominence in London during the 1970s. Characterized by her painterly, ethereal aesthetic, Moon’s photographs are often saturated with jewel tones and feature romantic, magical imagery. “For me, photography is pure fiction,” she has said. “I don't believe that I am making any defined statement. Instead, I am expressing something, an echo of the world maybe.” She was born Marielle Warin on November 17, 1939 in Vichy, France and she and her Jewish family fled occupied France for England when she was still a teenager. Moon began modelling in Paris and London under the name Marielle Hadengue, and in 1970, she took up photography in earnest, adopting the moniker Sarah Moon. She worked extensively with Barbara Hulanicki of the London clothing brand Biba, and later the French label Cacharel. She has also produced photographs for Vogue magazine, Comme des Garçons...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White
Roses, Framed Gelatin Silver Print, 1997
By Sarah Moon
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Roses, 1997 by Sarah Moon Gelatin Silver Print Image size: 14.75 in. H x 11.75 in. W Sheet size: 19.5 in. H x 15.5 in. W Signed, titled, and dated on verso in pencil __________________________________________ Sarah Moon is a French fashion photographer who rose to prominence in London during the 1970s. Characterized by her painterly, ethereal aesthetic, Moon’s photographs are often saturated with jewel tones and feature romantic, magical imagery. “For me, photography is pure fiction,” she has said. “I don't believe that I am making any defined statement. Instead, I am expressing something, an echo of the world maybe.” She was born Marielle Warin on November 17, 1939, in Vichy, France, and she and her Jewish family fled occupied France for England when she was still a teenager. Moon began modeling in Paris and London under the name Marielle Hadengue, and in 1970, she took up photography in earnest, adopting the moniker Sarah Moon. She worked extensively with Barbara Hulanicki of the London clothing brand Biba, and later the French label Cacharel. She has also produced photographs for Vogue magazine, Comme des Garçons...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White, Archival Pigment
Nevermind, Gelatin Silver Print, 1989
By Sarah Moon
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Nevermind, 1989 by Sarah Moon Gelatin Silver Print Image size: 14.75 in. H x 11.75 in. W Sheet size: 19.5 in. H x 15.5 in. W Signed, titled, and dated on verso in pencil Whitewood framed- plexiglass 31 in. H x 23 in. W x 2 in D. ________________________________________ Sarah Moon is a French fashion photographer who rose to prominence in London during the 1970s. Characterized by her painterly, ethereal aesthetic, Moon’s photographs...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White, Archival Pigment
Tullamore, 1988
By Sarah Moon
Located in Miami Beach, FL
Tullamore, 1988 by Sarah Moon Gelatin Silver Print Unframed Image size: 11.75 in. H x 14.75 in. W Sheet size: 19.5 in. H x 15.5 in. W Signed, titled, and dated on verso in pencil ____________________________________________ Sarah Moon is a French fashion photographer who rose to prominence in London during the 1970s. Characterized by her painterly, ethereal aesthetic, Moon’s photographs are often saturated with jewel tones and feature romantic, magical imagery. “For me, photography is pure fiction,” she has said. “I don't believe that I am making any defined statement. Instead, I am expressing something, an echo of the world maybe.” She was born Marielle Warin on November 17, 1939 in Vichy, France and she and her Jewish family fled occupied France for England when she was still a teenager. Moon began modelling in Paris and London under the name Marielle Hadengue, and in 1970, she took up photography in earnest, adopting the moniker Sarah Moon. She worked extensively with Barbara Hulanicki of the London clothing brand Biba, and later the French label Cacharel. She has also produced photographs for Vogue magazine, Comme des Garçons...
Silver Gelatin, Black and White, Archival Pigment